According to the social network’s research, 17 million users discussed E3 2017 on Facebook since June 9, which was the day before EA Play (thanks, GI.biz). Since then, 41 million posts, likes and comments combined were attributed to E3.

Speaking of E3 2017, if you happened to have missed anything, you can always hit up our round up post. There you will find all the games, news and trailers out of the show.

Over the last week, the most discussed brand was Sony and during its press conference, over 250,000 people were chatting about the PlayStation maker and its products.

Just over 200,000 discussed Microsoft’s Xbox e3 2017 briefing, EA Play had just under 200,000 and there were 110,000 people discussing Nintendo during its E3 Spotlight presentation.

The game with the most comments, posts and likes was Star Wars: Battlefront 2 with close to 110,000 people talking about it during EA Play June 10.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins, God of War and Spider-Man each had close to 50,000 folks discussing the games at their peak, and there were 30,000 commenters on Super Mario Odyssey. The report noted numbers for the latter increased when Facebook looked at comments made from people at the show.

This made it the most discussed title by those attending E3 June 12-15. Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WW2 came in second and third, respectively in that regard.

There were tons of people watching the shows on Twitch too, as we previously told you. In all, there were over 5.5 million hours of E3 2017 content watched on the streaming service.

E3 2017 officially kicked off on Tuesday, June 13 if you aren’t counting the pre-E3 shows and annual Monday-before presentations from Sony and Ubisoft. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) which puts on the annual conference said 68,400 people attended the event this year.

This figure is up 30% compared to 2016, but it was also open to the public.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2017/06/16/over-17m-people-on-facebook-made-41m-posts-likes-and-comments-on-e3-2017/feed/050% of developers polled by GDC feel Switch will outsell Wii Uhttps://www.vg247.com/2017/01/12/50-of-developers-polled-by-gdc-feel-switch-will-outsell-wii-u/
https://www.vg247.com/2017/01/12/50-of-developers-polled-by-gdc-feel-switch-will-outsell-wii-u/#respondThu, 12 Jan 2017 22:00:27 +0000https://www.vg247.com/?p=614626Participants in the Game Developers Conference’s fifth annual State of the Industry Survey have weighed-in on Nintendo’s Switch.

Many weren’t sure enough to make a guess (37%) and 14% or so actually think Switch will sell worse than Wii U – which has sold less than any other console released by Nintendo.

GDC survey takers weren’t 100% on whether the console-tablet hybrid would make a dent with consumers. Out of the 4,500 participants, 19% felt strongly it would go over well, 11% said consumers wouldn’t care, and 48% felt they “might”, while 23% said they were unsure either way.

Finally, out of those surveyed, only 3% said they were working on Switch titles, but that’s still 1% more than those working on Wii U (2%).

You can look over the full report through the link to Games Industry above.

Nintendo will reveal more on its Switch system this evening. We will finally know when it will launch, how much it will cost, and when you will be able to preorder.

According to the report, FIFA 16 was September’s highest-grossing digital console release, followed closely by Destiny: The Taken King expansion which helped sell full copies of the game. Full games sales made up two thirds of Destiny’s September digital revenue, according to the firm’s data.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Mad Max sold better digitally on PC than digitally on console, with the former topping the PC digital chart.

With the exception of pay-to-play MMOs, which fell 8% to $213 million, SuperData found global digital games revenues were up across categories, with the biggest proportional gains attributed to digital console sales.

Digital revenue for consoles increased 29% year-over-year to $326 million despite player numbers remaining stable for the reporting period. Most growth came from existing players purchasing full games digitally, will full game spending up 39% to $132.46.

Mobile is still king digitally, though, and the sector grew 9% to $2 billion.

According to the latest report from SuperData research, Bethesda’s first mobile title earned $5.1 million during its first two weeks of availability. And it’s not even out on Android devices yet. Just iOS.

June 2015 mobile revenue overall was up 4% over May and 20% year-over-year, hitting $367 million.

There was other good news for Bethesda: ZeniMax Online’s console version of The Elder Scrolls Online sold 138,000 digital copies during its release month of June. SuperData said sales of the MMO were enough to “temporarily buoy the contracting pay-to-play MMO market” by 7% year-over-year to $50 million.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/07/16/fallout-shelter-5-million-elder-scrolls-online-june/feed/0PC development dominates despite uptick in PS4, Xbox One interest – studyhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/01/15/pc-ps4-xbox-one-study-gdc/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/15/pc-ps4-xbox-one-study-gdc/#respondThu, 15 Jan 2015 22:29:50 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=507906The latest GDC State of the Industry report has been made available, and while the number of developers for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have doubled, PC and mobile remain the top platforms for most studios.

Organizers of the Game Developer’s Conference polled over 2,000 North American developers during GDC 2014 last year, and according to the research, digital and microtransaction sales along with console development are on the rise.

Unsurprisingly, development of competitive titles are also on the rise thanks to the dawn of Twitch and the continued popularity of eSports.

While mobile interest with developers slid compared to last year’s study, it wasn’t by much: in 2013 58% of developers expected to release a game on mobile while in 2014 that figure slipped to 48%.

Full stats are below:

PC, PS4, Xbox One, mobile (GDC: “note games often are developed across multiple platforms”)

26% of developers surveyed said they’re currently working on a PS4 game; up from 14% in 2013

22% are currently working on an Xbox One game, up from 12% in 2013

56% of respondents said their current game will be released on PC

50% will release a current project on smartphones or tablets, compared to 53% and 52%, respectively, in 2013.

29% expect their next game to be on PlayStation 4, compared to 20% in 2013

24% expect the project to release for Xbox One, compared to 17% last year

53% expect their next game to release on PC

48% expect to release on smartphones or tablets

Digital Sales, Microtransactions, growth

29% of profits stemmed from direct sales to consumers or digital sales

GDC 2015 will take place March 2-6 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/15/pc-ps4-xbox-one-study-gdc/feed/0Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals push digital games revenue to over $1 billionhttps://www.vg247.com/2014/12/10/digital-games-black-friday-cyber-monday/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/12/10/digital-games-black-friday-cyber-monday/#respondWed, 10 Dec 2014 18:13:01 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=504948Black Friday and Cyber Monday digital games deals pushed the sector to over $1 billion, according to the latest report from SuperData Research.

Customers spent 23% more around the Thanksgiving holiday year-over-year and the average spending on PC DLC nearly doubled 2013’s Black Friday.

“Traditionally, digital games do not follow the drastic seasonal spikes of retail, which remains vastly dominant during the holiday season,” noted SuperData. “Retail’s huge discounts on hardware were instrumental in driving digital mobile and console game sales, earning revenues of $355 million and $111 million, respectively.

“Overall, spending on digital games reached over one billion in sales in November, as the holiday frenzy reaches critical mass.”

November digital sales came in at $64 million. DLC sales for consoles were up 30% year-over-year.

Annual sales for console DLC is expected to total $603 million next year, said the firm.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/12/10/digital-games-black-friday-cyber-monday/feed/0Men seem to prefer FPS over RPGs, while women prefer the latter – studyhttps://www.vg247.com/2014/10/28/fps-rpg-men-women-research-pc/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/10/28/fps-rpg-men-women-research-pc/#respondTue, 28 Oct 2014 13:51:44 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=497943The latest report out of SuperData Research finds women are now the largest group playing RPGs, and when it comes to MMOs, two out of five players are females.

Men make up 46.5% of RPG players compared to 53.6% of females. In the MMO market, men are still the majority with 66%, but two of every five players are female, per Joystiq.

“Players between 18 and 30 account for 50% of the US MMO audience,” said SuperData in its report. “These players represent the largest age group, many of which started playing MMOs as children, during the segment’s early years, and have continued into their adulthood.

“This generation is expected to expand the older markets as they age since they are the first generation to have grown up with MMOs.”

By 2017, the firm expects MMOs to generate $13 billion, with League of Legends contributing $946 million to the figure.

Now on to mobile: 57.8% of players are women while 42.2% of males like enjoy playing as well. This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent playing Angry Birds, The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff on my Samsung tablet. I even play Farmville 2: Country Escape – and I am not ashamed to admit it.

The report also states 50.2% of ladies play on PC compared to 49.9% of men, which is a very small margin and includes social titles as well as other video game genres.

Male console players make up 63% of players compared to 37% of women, and the men are still the main FPS demographic with 66% of males playing the genre compared 34% of women.

While there isn’t an overly large disparity between the any of the figures, save for consoles and FPS games, the report shows more people are playing games than ever before, which is a good thing. The more mainstream it becomes, the more variety of titles we have to play.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/10/28/fps-rpg-men-women-research-pc/feed/0Half of all PC gamers wait for a game to go on sale before buying – reporthttps://www.vg247.com/2014/09/10/half-of-all-pc-gamers-wait-for-a-game-to-go-on-sale-before-buying-report/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/09/10/half-of-all-pc-gamers-wait-for-a-game-to-go-on-sale-before-buying-report/#respondWed, 10 Sep 2014 00:42:52 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=490662Sales may be killing developers’ chances of getting gamers to pay full price for new releases.

Half of all PC gamers in the US wait for a game’s price to drop before buying it.

The report, which draws on a June survey of 6,255 individuals, said 46% of respondents who game on PC bought a title digitally in the last year, but those who download games rather than visit the shops are “far less likely” to pay full price.

“Consumers’ expectations may be the greatest barrier to maximizing spending in the PC gaming space,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said.

“Since half of PC gamers who play digital and/or physical games on the computer are expecting there to always be a sale right around the corner, publishers and retailers alike need to better manage these expectations.”

As a consumer, you may be thinking something along the lines of “half of all PC gamers are very sensible, then”, but some developers – particularly indies – have strong concerns about the effect of sales on the games industry.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/09/10/half-of-all-pc-gamers-wait-for-a-game-to-go-on-sale-before-buying-report/feed/0This ESA study says more adult females in the US play games than teenage boyshttps://www.vg247.com/2014/08/22/women-gamers-esa-study/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/08/22/women-gamers-esa-study/#respondFri, 22 Aug 2014 19:40:13 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=488173A new study from the Entertainment Software Association has found that more adult females play games than boys under the age of 18 in the US.

Adult men still outnumber other demographics in the country, but the number of women who play on consoles and mobile devices is up 48% compared to 40% in 2010.

Granted, the upswing is cam be attributed to smartphones in addition to PC and Nintendo’s Wii. It seems women are more likely play a game on mobile and as likely to play games on iPhone and iPad along with the men, the study stated.

“Our industry has a remarkable upward trajectory. Computer and video games are a form of entertainment enjoyed by a diverse, worldwide consumer base that demonstrates immense energy and enthusiasm for games,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA.

Elsewhere in the report, the ESA breaks down total game spend, the top selling console and PC titles of 2013, and which genres of games proved to be the most popular among those surveyed.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/08/22/women-gamers-esa-study/feed/0Elder Scrolls Online subs stand at 772,374 according to SuperData reporthttps://www.vg247.com/2014/07/18/elder-scrolls-online-subscription-numbers/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/07/18/elder-scrolls-online-subscription-numbers/#commentsFri, 18 Jul 2014 14:37:41 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=483336In SuperData’s latest digital games report, the firm takes a look at the subscription-based MMO market and unsurprisingly, World of Warcraft remains the top revenue earner despite the sector’s loss of subscription-based players.

According to the firm, the pay-to-play MMO market has “been shrinking since 2010, dropping from $30.6 million monthly active subscribers worldwide to $23.4 million in 2014. The subscription MMO market has declined to $2.9 billion, with average spend at $170.

Newcomer The Elder Scrolls Online seems to be doing well, despite the market decline in both players and total revenues, as average revenue per user continues to rise, according to SuperData which cites 772,374 subscribers.

Microtransaction revenue has offset the revenue losses as “several key titles” have incorporated or switched to the microtransaction revenue model. Over the last five years, revenue for subscription-based MMOs with added in-game microtransactions went from 14% to 27%.

The average digital spend, plus the monthly sub fee, tripled from $16 to $46 worldwide.

Elsewhere in the report, particularly in the charts posted below, revenue from sub-based MMOs are noted.

Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic came in fourth on the top 10 subscription MMO list and reportedly earned $165 million in revenue worldwide in 2013 due to both subs and microtranaction options.

As noted at the start of the article, World of Warcraft is still the MMO king with $1 billion in yearly revenue.

NCSoft offerings made up the majority of the list with Lineage as the second top-grossing MMO with $253 million in revenue.

TERA Online came in third with $236 million, Lord of the Rings Online was fifth with $104 million, followed by EVE Online, Aion, Blade and Soul, Lineage 2, and RIFT.

According to to the analyst firm’s PC Gaming Hardware Market report, sales of PC hardware and peripherals used for gaming remain strong despite the overall decline in the PC market.

“We continue to see a shift in casual console customers moving to mobile,” noted the firm’s senior gaming analyst Ted Pollak. “While this is also occurring in the lower-end PC gaming world, more money is being directed to mid and high-range builds and upgrades by gamers.

“Committed PC gamers are generally not interested in pure content consumption platforms. They are power users and pay thousands for the ability to play games at very high settings and then do business, video/photo editing, content creation and other tasks with maximum horsepower at their disposal in a desktop ergonomic environment.”

Jon Peddie, president of JPR, believes as gaming PC performance increases, the console market will struggle to keep up.

“Nvidia, Intel and AMD have enthusiast CPU and GPUs that are so powerful that, when combined with SSDs and fast memory, they absolutely trounce the computing power and gaming capabilities of the newest console generation,” he stated. “Being able to drive 3840×2160 (4K) is already a reality for the highest end configurations and the mass market is now able to push 2560×1440.

“PC gamers with good displays are able to enjoy millions and millions of pixels more than console gamers get on HDTVs. This translates into being able to see more and an overall better gaming experience.”

The PC gaming hardware market will be valued at $23.2 billion (£13.6bn) by 2017, according to the firm.

The survey found that 33% of developers are expecting to build PS4 games while 23% are looking to develop on Xbox One. 58% of surveyed developers said that they’re working on PC titles, and 60% said that they’re releasing their next project on PC.

It’s not all rosy in the land of high-end gaming however, as 65% of those developers are currently working on mobile titles.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/07/09/devs-prefer-ps4-over-xbox-one-but-pc-is-still-king-survey-says/feed/10Xbox controller modded with biometric sensors by Stanford teamhttps://www.vg247.com/2014/04/08/xbox-controller-modded-with-biometric-sensors-by-stanford-team/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/04/08/xbox-controller-modded-with-biometric-sensors-by-stanford-team/#respondMon, 07 Apr 2014 23:36:44 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=463075Researchers at Stanford University have developed a prototype control pad that monitors the autonomic nervous system via peripheral signals detectable in a player’s hands, such as heart rate, movement, perspiration and respiration rate.

The modified Xbox 360 controller uses multiple biometric sensors, and researchers can use the data harvested in addition to game data to draw conclusions about the player’s mood and reactions.

In a Stanford news post, creator Gregory Kovacs, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, the technology could be used to design games that respond to players.

“If a player wants maximum engagement and excitement, we can measure when they are getting bored and, for example, introduce more zombies into the level,” he said.

“We can also control the game for children. If parents are concerned that their children are getting too wrapped up in the game, we can tone it down or remind them that it’s time for a healthy break.”

I can also think of some pretty great horror applications, alaNevermind.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/04/08/xbox-controller-modded-with-biometric-sensors-by-stanford-team/feed/0Anti-social gamers are “outliers, not the norm”, study suggestshttps://www.vg247.com/2014/03/31/anti-social-gamers-are-outliers-not-the-norm-study-suggests/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/31/anti-social-gamers-are-outliers-not-the-norm-study-suggests/#respondMon, 31 Mar 2014 01:11:57 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=460917The stereotype of gamers as anti-social loners is inaccurate, according to a new study (and the evidence of the entire VG247 staff’s life experiences).

“This won’t be a surprise to the gaming community, but it’s worth telling everyone else. Loners are the outliers in gaming, not the norm,” said lead author Dr. Nick Taylor.

Focusing on MMORPGs in particular, the study saw researchers in the UK and Canada visiting over 20 gaming events to record the behaviour of “thousands” of attendees, as well as surveying 378 individuals in detail.

“Gaming didn’t eliminate social interaction, it supplemented it,” Taylor said of the team’s observations.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/31/anti-social-gamers-are-outliers-not-the-norm-study-suggests/feed/0Only one in three Kickstarter projects have made it to backers on time – reporthttps://www.vg247.com/2014/01/28/only-one-in-three-kickstarter-projects-have-made-it-to-backers-on-time-report/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/01/28/only-one-in-three-kickstarter-projects-have-made-it-to-backers-on-time-report/#commentsTue, 28 Jan 2014 01:43:43 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=443790According to data manually harvested from Kickstarter’s front-end, just one in three video game projects have delivered the goods in a timely fashion.

The data was collected by Evil as a Hobby by manually following up on the 366 video game projects successfully funded on Kickstarter between 2009 and 2012 inclusive which had been expected to launch by January 2014.

As of December 2013 and January 2014, when the data was gathered, only about one in three games had actually released. By including projects with partial releases – such as a one act launch like Broken Age’s, one version of a group of ports, or a beta launch of one portion of the game – the figure rises to a more respectable one in two.

Looking more closely at the figures, Evil as a Hobby noted that while the number of Kickstarter projects has increased, the delivery rate has remained largely static. The site found no significant increase in delivery as funding increased, as you might expect if under-funded projects had hit financial issues.

The report concluded that $16.9 million worth of backer contributions in the period indicated above have been rewarded with a full or partial release, but a whopping $21.6 million has gone totally unrewarded as yet.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/01/28/only-one-in-three-kickstarter-projects-have-made-it-to-backers-on-time-report/feed/1Video games can increase your brain capacity – studyhttps://www.vg247.com/2013/11/06/video-games-can-increase-your-brain-capacity-study/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/11/06/video-games-can-increase-your-brain-capacity-study/#commentsWed, 06 Nov 2013 03:50:13 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=423944Researchers in Berlin report that regularly playing video games can increase the power of certain sections of the brain, and may be able to help counteract mental diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

As reported in Molecular Psychiatry and Max Planck Society, researchers used MRI scans to determine the difference between a group who played Super Mario 64, for 30 minutes a day over two months, and a control group who played no video games during that period.

The study found that participants who had played the game exhibited “significant gray matter increase in right hippocampal formation, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the bilateral cerebellum”. These areas of the brain are associated with skills in “spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning and fine motor skills of the hands.”

Even more interesting is that participants who expressed a strong desire to continue playing the game showed the most pronounced changes.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/11/06/video-games-can-increase-your-brain-capacity-study/feed/7PS4, Xbox One could help “revitalize” games market despite mobile’s “disruption” – analysthttps://www.vg247.com/2013/07/17/ps4-xbox-one-could-help-revitalize-games-market-despite-mobiles-disruption-analyst/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/07/17/ps4-xbox-one-could-help-revitalize-games-market-despite-mobiles-disruption-analyst/#commentsWed, 17 Jul 2013 13:44:32 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=389151Digi-Capital has just published the Q2 2013 update to its global Games Investment Review, and according to the firm’s findings, games investment is recovering from the 2012 decline; however, it is still well-below the $2 billion record logged in 2011 and mobile development is “fundamentally disrupting the games market” on a global scale.

The console market decline continued in 2012 despite the Wii U launch, falling 25% and software falling 44% into May 2013.

Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox One launches in Q4 2013 could “revitalize the market,” according to Merel , but the shift in digital distribution and impact of free-to-play business models could have an affect.

“Games investment to Q2 2013 is recovering from 2012’s decline,” said Merel. “Games investment value to Q2 2013 grew by 63% in proportion to 2012 to $706 million but is still well below the $2 billion record investment levels of 2011. Games investment volume to Q2 2013 grew by 7% in proportion to 2012 to 89 transactions, with average investment deal size up by 51.7% compared to 2012 to $7.9M.

The report states that mobile games make up 43% of mobile app usage across iOS/Android tablets and smartphones, and account for 67% of all tablet usage. Revenues in the app sector account for 72% of total revenue compared to 40% in 2010.

Mobile games monetize around 4x more “effectively than all other mobile app categories combined.”

Merel’s firm expects the mobile/online games could grow the total video games market size to $83 billion and take over 55% of revenue share at $48 billion by 2016.

“We haven’t seen a market as large, growing as fast as mobile apps/games,” said Merel. “We think this could be the highest growth, large technology market today. Yet capital markets aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity.

“Particularly in mobile, we think the opportunity cost of not investing is potentially more significant than the investment itself. As well as being a major opportunity, mobile disruption could pose a significant risk for those who don’t learn how to play.”

You can look over the entire report through the link which includes lovely pie charts, graphs and other visual tools.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/07/17/ps4-xbox-one-could-help-revitalize-games-market-despite-mobiles-disruption-analyst/feed/8GDC Europe survey shows developers more keen on PS4 at presenthttps://www.vg247.com/2013/07/16/gdc-europe-survey-shows-developers-more-keen-on-ps4-at-present/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/07/16/gdc-europe-survey-shows-developers-more-keen-on-ps4-at-present/#commentsTue, 16 Jul 2013 13:09:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=388711A GDC Europe survey has revealed that developers who create console titles in the region are more apt to develop for PS4, with the Steam Box concept coming in close behind it.

The survey – posted on GI International and Gamasutra – shows that of those polled, PS4 interest with developers stands at 39% with Steam Box close behind at 37% followed by Ouya with 32%.

Xbox One interest came in at 20%, with Vita, Wii U, and 3DS following behind it, respectively.

It must be noted that tablets and smartphones were the big winners on the list, hitting at 61 and 53%, respectively, and interest in browser-based games was rather high as well.

Developers actively creating titles for next-gen were low, with only 13% of respondents working with PS4, and 9% working with Xbox One.

As far as intent, 23% plan to develop games for PS4 compared to 14% on Xbox One.

Developers working on titles for Nintendo hardware came in at 5% for Wii U and 1.5% on 3DS.

For this particular survey, 31% of respondents were from Germany, 21% from the UK, 11% from the Netherlands, 6% from Finland, and 6% from France.

The survey, organised by GDC Europe and UBM Game Tech Network, plan to conduct a similar survey next year before GDC Europe 2014.

GDC Europe runs next month from August 19 to 21 alongside gamescom.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/07/16/gdc-europe-survey-shows-developers-more-keen-on-ps4-at-present/feed/12ESA report: 58% of US’ers are gamers, 31% are ladies, parents taking more interesthttps://www.vg247.com/2013/06/12/esa-report-58-of-users-are-gamers-31-are-ladies-parents-taking-more-interest/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/12/esa-report-58-of-users-are-gamers-31-are-ladies-parents-taking-more-interest/#commentsWed, 12 Jun 2013 00:44:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=377672The ESA has released a report which states that 31% of video game players are adult women, and 17 year old boys make up only 19%. This makes women 45% of the entire game playing population and 46% of the time they are the most frequent game purchasers.

“This new data underscores the remarkable upward trajectory for video games. It is an entertainment form enjoyed by hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA. “A diverse and energized consumer base, remarkable new hardware, and outstanding software all combine to foster growth for our industry.”

According to the 2013 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry report, parents are also taking an active interest in what their kids are playing: 89% of the time they are present when a child is playing and provide permission before purchasing or renting a game 80% of the time.

Over a third play games with their kids once a week, and almost 90% feel the ESRB rating system is either “very or somewhat helpful” in choosing games for their kids. Another 86% said parental controls available consoles are useful – a figure which is up from 73% in 2012.

58% of Americans play video games
51% of U.S. households own a dedicated game console, with on average two games owned
36% of gamers are 36 years old or older with the average age at 30
43% feel computer and video games give them the most value for their money compared to other entertainment
62% play games with others in-person or online
$21 billion was spent on game content, hardware, and accessories in 2012

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/12/esa-report-58-of-users-are-gamers-31-are-ladies-parents-taking-more-interest/feed/5Rocksmith series has sold 1.4 million copies, new study confirms shredding benefitshttps://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/rocksmith-series-has-sold-1-4-million-copies-new-study-confirms-shredding-benefits/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/rocksmith-series-has-sold-1-4-million-copies-new-study-confirms-shredding-benefits/#commentsTue, 04 Jun 2013 16:47:43 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=373519A national study by the Research Strategy Group, has found Rocksmith is “the fastest way to learn how to play the guitar.

The study was conducted via hundreds of participants across New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas.

The results support earlier research conducted by the Toluna Group, which found that 95% of Rocksmith players claimed it improved their guitar skills.

Ubisoft also revealed that the Rocksmith series has sold 1.4 million copies worldwide since its release in October 2011.

An additional 3 million songs have been downloaded from the title’s library of 143 DLC tracks.

Altogether, players have played an estimated 112 billion notes.

More Rocksmith news is to be revealed at E3 in June.

An infographic is below.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/rocksmith-series-has-sold-1-4-million-copies-new-study-confirms-shredding-benefits/feed/11NPD Online Gaming 2013 report shows a 5% increase in US online gaminghttps://www.vg247.com/2013/05/02/npd-report-shows-an-increase-in-online-gamers-and-time-spent-online/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/05/02/npd-report-shows-an-increase-in-online-gamers-and-time-spent-online/#commentsThu, 02 May 2013 13:36:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=363388NPD has released its Online Gaming 2013 report, and it finds that 72% of US gamers play video games online, a 5% increase year-over-year.

The number of hours spent playing games across all devices was also up compared to 2012 by 9%, with online gaming hours up 6% year-over-year.

“Besides the size of the gaming audience and sales performance, one of the key metrics for the industry to watch is the time gamers spend playing games,” said Liam Callahan, NPD analyst.

“This study found that the overall amount of time spent gaming, and time spent gaming online increased across virtually every type of device, and notably so, versus 2012.”

The PC was the top platform for online gaming with 68% of those polled citing use of the system, which is a 4% decline over 2012. Online gaming on mobile devices, on the other hand, was up 12% over 2012 figures.

Despite the increase in online gaming, gamers still preferred physical copies over digital versions – even when pricing was the same. 62% surveyed preferred physical format over digital.

While a high figure, it is a 3% decline, meaning digital preference figures are up over 2012.

“While many gamers prefer games in the physical format, the increased availability of digital content paired with a greater amount of connected devices has driven an increase in the number of consumers going online to access the content they want,” said Callahan.

NPD conducted its research from February 15 through March 4, 2013 via members of NPD’s online panel, with 8,867 participants aged 2 and older. Those under 16 years of age responded with an adult parent or guardian present.

“Gamers” were defined as those who “currently personally play games on at least one of the systems/devices,” measured in the report. Online gamers were defined as those who play games online on at least one of the systems/devices measured.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/05/02/npd-report-shows-an-increase-in-online-gamers-and-time-spent-online/feed/4Guardian analysis of top 50 games sold in 2012 found “more than half contain violent content labels”https://www.vg247.com/2013/04/30/guardian-analysis-of-top-50-games-sold-in-2012-found-more-than-half-contain-violent-content-labels/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/04/30/guardian-analysis-of-top-50-games-sold-in-2012-found-more-than-half-contain-violent-content-labels/#commentsTue, 30 Apr 2013 19:24:49 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=362752The Guardian has posted a graph and a video, which shows information the site compiled through research regarding guns and violence in games. According to the site, an analysis of the top 50 video games sold in 2012 found that “more than half contain violent content labels,” and “one-third have weapons that depict real-life firearms.” According to the firm’s analysis, 68% of the games looked at contained violence while 32% contained none. Realistic firearms were found in less than half of of the 50 games of 2012, with 38% having guns in general. 62% having no guns. You can watch the video and run your mouse over the interactive chart through the link.
]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/04/30/guardian-analysis-of-top-50-games-sold-in-2012-found-more-than-half-contain-violent-content-labels/feed/2PS3 used for streaming media more than gaming – Nielsen studyhttps://www.vg247.com/2013/03/14/ps3-used-for-streaming-media-more-than-gaming-nielsen-study/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/03/14/ps3-used-for-streaming-media-more-than-gaming-nielsen-study/#commentsThu, 14 Mar 2013 19:45:08 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=349216A new study from Nielsen has found that most US PS3 owners use the console mainly for streaming services instead of gaming.

According the over 2,500 polled, video-on-demand and streaming on the console were up 15 % to 24% for the year, while DVDs/Blu-ray use came in ta 15%, downloadable TV and movies came in at 4% and all other uses 8%.

For the 28% who played games, they spent that time offline, and 18% spent it playing online. In total, 46% spent the majority of time on PS3 gaming, while 54% spent the majority of the time using the console for non-gaming purposes.

Wii was still the most popular streaming media device, and Xbox 360 came in last in the study for streaming usage.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/03/14/ps3-used-for-streaming-media-more-than-gaming-nielsen-study/feed/23GDC survey reveals 58% of studios are developing for platforms other than consolehttps://www.vg247.com/2013/02/28/gdc-survey-reveals-58-of-indies-are-developing-for-platforms-other-than-console/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/02/28/gdc-survey-reveals-58-of-indies-are-developing-for-platforms-other-than-console/#commentsThu, 28 Feb 2013 15:55:58 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=344877GDC organizers have released results from its State of the Industry survey, which independently polled 2,500 North American developers which attended the conference in 2012 or had plans to attend in 2013. Turns out, 4.6% have developed titles for Wii U; 6.4% are currently developing a title for Wii U; 13.2% are currently developing for Xbox 360; 14% plan on releasing a new title on Xbox 360; 13% are releasing a game for PS3; and 12.4% plan to launch a new development title on the platform.

More figures are below.

The study also found that 11% of developers are currently working on a PS4 title, and the next-Xbox system. Studios which released their last title on PC and Mac hit 34.6% and 49% plan on releasing their next title on the systems.

Vita releases only made up 2% of those surveyed, 5% plans on releasing the next title on the handheld, and 4.2% are currently working on a title for the system. 3DS saw 2% of respondents had released a game on the system, while 2.8% planned to release a title for 3DS in the future.

Mobile and table is also becoming larger, with 38% of developer releasing a title for the formats, and 55% currently developing for the aforementioned and 58% stating the next game released would ship on mobile devices.

Of those polled, 53% were independent developers, 51% of which have been listed as such for less than two years. Teams consisting of 10 staffers or less made up 46% of respondents, and 24% of developers considered independent did not use a publisher to release its last title. Of those polled, 20% were currently using a publisher while 8% had used crowd funding, and 44% stating they plan to use these measure in the future.

GDC 2013 takes place in San Francisco March 25-29.

——————————————

Here’s the full report, verbatim, from the press release:

In order to paint a picture of the games business as it looks right before GDC 2013, the Game Developers Conference® (GDC) has polled more than 2,500 North American game developers who attended the conference in 2012 or plan to attend GDC 2013 in March about their development practices, revealing several notable trends with regards to platforms, money, team sizes and more.

The GDC intends to field a similar survey each winter, in advance of the conference in San Francisco. Organized by the UBM Tech Game Network, GDC 2013 will take place March 25-29 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

The Rise Of The Indie

A key finding of the GDC 2013 State Of The Industry survey is that independent game development and smaller teams are on the rise like never before. In fact, 53% of the respondents identified themselves as ‘indie developers’, and of those, 51% have been indie developers for less than two years.

In addition, 46% of the survey’s respondents work within companies of ten people or less. Further proving the move to indie, only 24% of those surveyed worked with a publisher on their last game, while an even smaller 20% are doing so on their current projects.

Smartphones, Tablets, PC Dominate Dev Platforms

Another major focus of the survey was the platform preferences and interests of the development community, an important topic in a year when next-gen consoles are anticipated to come to market – alongside a slew of new types of consoles such as PC-based TV consoles and Android consoles.

The survey found that more of the respondents are developing for smartphones and tablets than for any other platform. 38% of the survey’s developers released their last game for smartphones and tablets collectively, but 55% are making their current games there. Even more impressive, a whopping 58% plan to release their next games on these platforms.

PCs and Macs are the next strongest platforms, with 34.6% of developers releasing their last games for PCs/Macs, 48% developing their current games for the platform, and 49% planning their next games on PCs/Macs.

Console Development Stable At A Lower Base

In terms of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, the survey found Microsoft at the top, albeit from lower numbers, with 13.2% currently developing for the Xbox 360 and close to 14% planning their next game on the 360. For the PlayStation 3, 13% are releasing their current game for the console, and 12.4% their next game.

In terms of the Nintendo Wii U, only 4.6% of developers are currently making a Wii U game, and just 6.4% of our surveyed developers are making their next game for the console. (Finally, an identical 11% of respondents are making their next game for upcoming Sony and Microsoft platforms.)

Dedicated Gaming Handhelds Showing Minimal Support
Sony’s PlayStation Vita handheld showed a slight uptrend in support, but from extremely low percentages. While less than 2% of respondents made their last game for the console, 4.2% are making their current game for Vita, and just over 5% plan to release their next game there. And North American developers are unconvinced of the Nintendo 3DS’s potential. 2% are currently making a 3DS game, and only 2.8% of developers plan to release their next game on the 3DS.

The survey also asked developers about their levels of interest in developing for the variety of platforms on the market or coming soon, and received a very different response from what they said about current and future projects.

Tablets and smartphones are still way out ahead in terms of interest, with 58% and 56% respectively interested in the platforms. PC-based TV consoles, such as Valve’s Steam Box, have a very high 45% level of interest for developers. Android home consoles, like the OUYA and GameStick, are also high up the interest curve at 37%.

Interestingly, when asked simply about expressions of interest, next-gen Microsoft and Sony consoles shoot up the relative graph ranking to 29% and 27% respectively. And Nintendo platforms continue to lag in developer interest, with a relatively small 13% and 5% interest respectively for the Wii U and 3DS.

Self-Funding Goes Big, Crowdfunding Interest Blooms

Finally, the GDC survey looked into how developers are funding their projects. The vast majority of games are being funded from the company’s existing war chest (37%) or an individual’s personal funds (35%).

Only 9% of our survey respondents were primarily venture capital funded. 10% are still primarily publisher-funded, and 4% are actually primarily crowdfunded. With regards to crowdfunding, 8% of surveyed developers have worked on a project that was crowdfunded, while a surprisingly sizable 44% plan to do so in the future.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/02/28/gdc-survey-reveals-58-of-indies-are-developing-for-platforms-other-than-console/feed/12Study – 75% of parents believe violence in video games contribute to violence in the UShttps://www.vg247.com/2013/01/11/study-75-of-parents-believe-violence-in-video-games-contributes-to-violence-in-the-us/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/01/11/study-75-of-parents-believe-violence-in-video-games-contributes-to-violence-in-the-us/#commentsFri, 11 Jan 2013 14:50:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=329399Common Sense Media has released the results of a study conducted in the US, which found that 75% of parents surveyed believe violence in video games contributes to violence in
the United States.

The survey was conducted January 4-5, 2013, and 1,050 parents across 50 states with a child of under 18 years living at home participated.

Of those, 89% felt violence in today’s video games is a “problem,” and 75% felt shielding children from violence is “difficult.”

All parents were shown a video advertisement for Hitman: Absolution, and 84% felts the advertisement was “inappropriate to show on TV at a time when
children are watching.”

In fairness, we personally never saw the ad aired at a time when children would be watching – then again, we don’t watch a copious amount of television. When we do, it’s usually TBS or Adult Swim.

Participants were also asked if movie and video game ratings allowed parents to make informed decisions about violent content. 68% said “Yes”, 23% said “No” and 9% weren’t sure.

77% felt violence on TV and in movies contributed to overall violence in the US as well, and 64% said violent toys were also a factor. 92% said bullying also contributed to violence.

In all, 93% of parents admitted that a lack of supervision for children contributed to violence.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/01/11/study-75-of-parents-believe-violence-in-video-games-contributes-to-violence-in-the-us/feed/26Study – 63% of women polled report being harassed while gaming onlinehttps://www.vg247.com/2012/09/08/study-80-of-gamers-believe-sexism-is-rampant-in-the-gaming-community/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/09/08/study-80-of-gamers-believe-sexism-is-rampant-in-the-gaming-community/#commentsSat, 08 Sep 2012 14:38:16 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=295004A survey conducted by Emily Matthew over on the Pricecharting blog, found that 80% of 874 respondents polled believe sexism is rampant in the gaming community, and 35% have been on the receiving end of sexual harassment while playing online.

Matthew’s study found that women were harassed four times more than men, and 63% of women reported being called a “c*nt, bitch, slut, and whore.” Others reported they were threatened with sexual assault, or asked for sexual favors, and stereotypical comments regarding female gender roles were prevalent as well. We’re assuming these comments include, but were not limited to: ‘go make me a sandwich’ or ‘get back in the kitchen and make me some pie.’

Many insults hurled at the women, according to the survey participants, also included derogatory comments regarding their weight or general physical appearance.

“Women were also much more likely to quit playing a game because of sex-based harassment than were men,” says the report. “35.8% of women reported having quit playing temporarily because of sexism, and 9.6% reported that they quit playing a certain game permanently because of harassment.

“The numbers for men in the same areas were 11.7% and 2.6% respectively – about a third of the percentage for women in each case.”

Sexual harassment of men might sound surprising, but look at these numbers: “15.7% of men also reported that they had experienced sex-based taunting, harassment, or threats while playing video games.”

Granted, this figure can be construed as a “minority” but it is still sexism.

“The comments directed at these gamers, however, are different from those directed at women in some very telling ways,” the report continues. “Most of the men who provided additional information on their “yes” response to this question experienced comments that revolved around them not fitting a masculine gender role. These men were often called “fags” and compared to or told that they were women and labeled with stereotypically feminine words.

“Those who identified as intersexed, identified with a sex that was not listed, or did not identify with any sex, the sexual harassment that was experienced largely related to not fitting into any norm. Those participants in these demographics had almost all experienced intentional misgendering from other players.”

The number of respondents who experienced harrassment outside of the game came in at 9.8% of respondents that continued outside the game, and 68% of women reportedly have kept their sexual identity secret on occasion in order to avoid sexual harassment. 13% of men said they have lied about their gender for the same reason.

Some women admitted to having used their gender as a way to acquire items, attention or favors. However, the number wasn’t that large, as only 10% of women admitted it.

“The comments and data from these two questions point to an interesting conclusion: some male gamers use the stereotype of a female “attention whore” to their benefit by pretending to be female in order to garner special benefits,” said the report. “Many of these men even kept images of women that they found on the internet in order to supply those gamers who helped them with nude photos and proof that they were female.

“In essence, an individual using femaleness to attain special favors and gifts from others while playing video games is more likely to be a self-identified male posing as a woman than to actually be female.”

Sounds like it’s time for everyone to grow up. If we are expecting the content of our games to show maturity, stop sexualizing/victimizing women, and stop adhering to outdated stereotypes and testosterone infused storylines, we need to start with ourselves first and with society in general. Otherwise, developers won’t take our foot stamping seriously.

Gamers scream, cry, and pull their hair like toddlers fitting over the need for mature, “grown up” themes in video games, yet they ignore online bullying. Gamer’s rejoiced when BioWare added sexual relationship options to Mass Effect, and stood up for it when Fox News distastefully, and purposely likened it to pornography. Gamers scream the loudest when atrocities committed by mass murderers are blamed on video games by politicians and the media. They wail and sign petitions when certain genres are being targeted for ban by government officials pandering to constituents with a “save the children” mentality.

Yet we don’t chastise or alienate those who bully other gamers online. Again, if we can’t act like adults instead of misogynistic, homophobic neanderthals, how can we expect the games industry to get with the times if we can’t?

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/09/08/study-80-of-gamers-believe-sexism-is-rampant-in-the-gaming-community/feed/124Number of US gamers in 2012 declined by 5% – NPD reporthttps://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/number-of-us-gamers-in-2012-declined-by-5-npd-report/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/number-of-us-gamers-in-2012-declined-by-5-npd-report/#commentsWed, 05 Sep 2012 14:50:29 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=294054NPD Group has released a report citing a decline in the number of gamers in the US during 2012.

According to the firm’s Gamer Segmentation 2012: The New Faces of Gamers report, there are currently 211.5 million gamers in America, which is a 5% decline year-over-year

The report segments six types of gamers and the only segments to show an increase in gamers were the Mobile and Digital Gamer segments. Mobile Gamers are up to 22% and Digital Gamers are up 16% year-over-year.

Mobile Gamers also represent the largest segment, ahead of Core Gamers, which in 2011 was the largest segment.

“Given the long lifecycles of the current consoles and the increasing installed base of smartphones and tablets, it’s not surprising to see a slight decline in the Core Gamer segment,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. “It’s the revenue contribution of the Core Gamer segment that continues to outpace all other segments, and remains vital to the future of the industry.

“While this study segments the gaming audience based on a number of key variables and attributes, looking across the total gaming audience we see a tremendous impact from mobile gaming, particularly on smartphones and tablets. Because of this, our next study, which will be released later this month, takes a deeper look into the area of mobile gaming.”

The Family+Kid segment had the most significant decline of all segments with 17.4 million gamers less than in 2011.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/number-of-us-gamers-in-2012-declined-by-5-npd-report/feed/7Nielsen games survey results show gamers enjoy sequelshttps://www.vg247.com/2012/07/14/nielsen-games-survey-results-show-gamers-enjoy-sequels/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/07/14/nielsen-games-survey-results-show-gamers-enjoy-sequels/#commentsSat, 14 Jul 2012 17:02:34 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=277174Media research group Nielsen has posted results from its latest survey of 2012’s most anticipated video games, and it appears participants are looking forward to more of the same.

Looking over the results of 4,800 surveyed between the ages of 7 and 54 years old, the most anticipated titles across PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 were sequels or new entries in existing franchises.

The only new IPs pulled from the data were The Last Story, and Everyone Sing, both of which are being released on Wii.

Xbox 360

Halo 4

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Assassin’s Creed III

Madden NFL 13

Resident Evil 6

Borderlands 2

NCAA Football 13

NBA 2K13

FIFA Soccer 13

Fable: The Journey

Darksiders II

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Far Cry 3

Medal of Honor: Warfighter

NHL 13

PS3

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Madden NFL 13

Assassin’s Creed III

Resident Evil 6

NCAA Football 13

Borderlands 2

NBA 2K13

Darksiders II

NHL 13

FIFA Soccer 13

Far Cry 3

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Hitman: Absolution

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

WWE ‘13

Wii

Just Dance 4

Madden NFL 13

Just Dance: Disney Party

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure

WWE ‘13

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

NBA 2K13

FIFA Soccer 13

The Last Story

Everyone Sing

Ice Age: Continental Drift: Arctic Games

Skylanders Giants

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013

Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game

Titles included in the analysis are titles expected to release on at least one current generation console between July and December 2012.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/07/14/nielsen-games-survey-results-show-gamers-enjoy-sequels/feed/16Study – games revenue to hit $70 billion by 2017, PC largest contributorhttps://www.vg247.com/2012/06/09/study-games-revenue-to-hit-70-billion-by-2017-pc-largest-contributor/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/06/09/study-games-revenue-to-hit-70-billion-by-2017-pc-largest-contributor/#commentsSat, 09 Jun 2012 21:16:57 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=268435A new study from market research firm DFC Intelligence predicts industry revenue across consoles, mobile, PC and the web will grow from $52 billion in 2011 to $70 billion in 2017.

The report, posted over on Gamasutra, noted casual and other new consumers are expanding the market, but it’s the core gamer – males between the ages of 12 to 30 years old – which will drive the growth in revenue.

“Digital distribution, already widely accepted among core gamers globally, is clearly broadening access to products and driving much of the industry growth,” said DFC Intelligence CEO David Cole, who expects digital to make up 66% ($46.2 billion) of revenues by 2017.

Cole feels more firms focusing on browser and social titles need to gain core support in order to grow revenue

“The bottom line, is core gamers spend money on products they like and right now the game offerings on sites like Facebook are simply not appealing to that demographics,” he said.

In order to compile its figures for the study DFC pulled numbers from Xfire, Live Gamer, and GamerDNA over the last five years for its study.

DFC found during its study titles played on PC will make up the largest percentage of the revenue with 39% ($27.3 billion), due to the metrics pulled from the aforementioned gaming networks. The firm found titles such as Diablo III, Minecraft, and League of Legends easily pulled in 1 million DAU despite little or zero retail presence.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/06/09/study-games-revenue-to-hit-70-billion-by-2017-pc-largest-contributor/feed/26PlayStation bests PC, XBL on AskMen innovation surveyhttps://www.vg247.com/2012/06/01/playstation-bests-pc-xbl-on-askmen-innovation-survey/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/06/01/playstation-bests-pc-xbl-on-askmen-innovation-survey/#commentsFri, 01 Jun 2012 12:48:02 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=264247A survey conducted by UK’s AskMen.com asked participants what the most important innovations were in the modern world. With over 30,000 votes cast, the Internet won out over everything else, and Sony’s PlayStation came in at number four on the list followed by PC. Microsoft’s Xbox Live came in at 20th. Via IGN.
]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/06/01/playstation-bests-pc-xbl-on-askmen-innovation-survey/feed/1